This application claims the priority of German application 197 11 035.5-21, filed in Germany on Mar. 17, 1997, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a device for variable subdivision of a storage area, especially a trunk of an automobile, with partitions projecting from the floor of the storage compartment and connected with one another with articulation, with two of said partitions being articulated at their free ends to a storage compartment wall that projects vertically upward from the floor of the storage compartment and with one partition being displaceable approximately at right angles to the wall of the storage compartment.
In the large spacious storage areas of transport vehicles, for example in the trunks of automobiles, such devices serve to prevent smaller or individual items of luggage or objects from tumbling around. Such devices are especially advantageous for transporting paper bags, bottles, plastic sacks, shopping bags, etc. used for daily shopping which must not fall over or roll around if possible when being transported.
In a known device of this type (German Patent Document DE 71 12 747 U1) a folding box consisting of a frame with cloth or netting stretched over it is mounted on the side wall of the trunk of an automobile. The frame can be folded up by means of two joints located on the sides of the frame and stored against the interior of the trunk wall. A clamp holds the folded frame against the inside wall. The joints on the sides of the frame are made with locking screws to secure the frame in any extended position by tightening the joints, so that the capacity of the folding box can be adapted to the current need. However, the locking screws cannot prevent the folding box, especially when fully extended, from lifting partially off the floor of the trunk during extreme vehicle acceleration or when rounding a curve, so that flat objects can slip under the partitions and slide around freely in the rest of the trunk space as before. This is even more likely to occur as a result of insufficient tightening of the locking screws in the two outer joints.
In a likewise known device of this type (German Patent Document DE 36 29 283 C2) the forward displaceable partition is divided into two separate partitions disconnected from one another, and all of the partitions can be locked at angles to one another, for which purpose all of the vertical axes between the partitions are provided with locking devices that secure the partitions to one another. The last partition in each of the two chains of partitions is mounted endwise to rotate around a vertical axis at the rear trunk wall. In this case, likewise by adjusting the angular positions of the partitions, the space delimited by the partitions can be adapted to the volume of the objects to be secured, so that these objects have no space in which to slide or fall over and thus are secured relatively reliably. The same problems as described above occur in this case also.
It is known from German Patent Document DE 40 15 556 A1 that partitions can be secured pivotably to the trunk floor to avoid lifting of the partitions during vehicle acceleration, but narrow limits are imposed on usability.
An object of the invention is to improve a device of the species recited at the outset in such fashion that it retains the specified spatial division in all extended positions and remains securely attached to the trunk floor.
This object is achieved in a device for variable subdivision of a storage compartment of the genera type referred to above, wherein a locking device is provided that operates between a displaceable partition and the floor of the storage compartment, said locking device having a manually operable lock mounted on the displaceable partition and a plurality of locking receptacles arranged in a row in a displacement direction in a storage compartment floor covering.
The device according to the invention has the advantage that the locking device between the front displaceable partition and the trunk floor anchors the front partition securely to the trunk floor in every adjustment position and therefore the articulated connections secure the other partitions against shifting, sliding, or lifting off the floor of the storage compartment. The locking device is simple and can be operated with limited expenditure of force and does not require locking forces as high as those of the locking screws in the known device, which cannot be tightened by certain persons. The device according to the invention, in its folded non-use state, has only a limited packet thickness and can be stored against the wall of the storage compartment without a significant interfering thickness that would adversely affect the use of the complete storage area or prevent its use. The locking device is also operable when the device is in the non-use state and folded against the wall of the storage compartment, so that no special locking clamps or other retaining means need be provided to secure the device against the wall of the storage compartment.
Advantageous embodiments of the device according to the invention with advantageous improvements therein as well as improvements on the invention are described herein.
According to one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the latch of the locking device has at least one locking pin and the plurality of latching receptacles arranged in a row is in the form of at least one row of holes for shapewise insertion of the at least one locking pin, said pin traversing the storage compartment centrally approximately at right angles to the wall of the storage compartment. Such a design of the latching device is very simple in construction and can be produced at low manufacturing cost.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, a guide rail is provided in the floor of the storage compartment, said rail extending parallel to the at least one row of holes, and a guide member that engages the guide rail is provided on the displaceable partition. Preferably the guide rail has at least one shoulder extending lengthwise and projecting transversely, said shoulder fitting over the guide member on its upper side that faces away from the floor of the storage compartment, at least partially with guided play. The guide rail not only facilitates the engagement of the at least one locking pin in the locking hole provided in the respective extended position of the displaceable partition, but its reliable attachment to the floor of the storage compartment is ensured over the entire displacement path of the partition, something which otherwise could only be achieved with an extremely long locking pin. The overlapping shoulder, allows the partition to be coupled at all times with the storage compartment floor by means of the guide member and relatively limited insertion of the locking pin into the locking hole is sufficient to ensure against lengthwise displacement, increasing the operating speed of the latching device for releasing and locking the partition.
According to one advantageous feature of preferred embodiments of the invention, the articulated connections between the partitions of the hinge joints are formed by hinge axes directed approximately at right angles to the floor of the storage compartment. These hinge joints contribute significantly to the improvement of the rigidity of the device when extended.
According to another advantageous feature of preferred embodiments of the invention, at least two partitions are provided between each side end of the displaceable partition and the floor of the storage compartment, and are connected with one another with articulation. The number of lateral partitions can be adapted to the space available at the storage compartment wall for lowering the lateral partitions. With a plurality of lateral partitions, the device can also be used in storage compartments that extend transversely with respect to the wall of the storage compartment.
According to other advantageous features of preferred embodiments of the invention, the device according to the invention is installed especially advantageously in the trunks of automobiles, with the device being attached with articulation to the rear wall of the trunk or lining covering said wall. The displaceable partition then runs parallel to the rear wall and extends over the entire width of the trunk.
Since the spare wheel is usually stored in the floor of the trunk in the trunks of automobiles and the flat trunk floor is formed by a stiff floor covering such as a mat or panel that rests on the trunk floor and covers the spare wheel, according to an advantageous feature of preferred embodiment of the invention the at least one row of holes and the guide rail of the locking device are integrated into the floor covering. With the device fully folded against the back wall, the floor panel is exposed so that it can be lifted to access the spare wheel.